Where should Modric go?

Luka Modric was Croatia's stand out player at Euro 2012, his Tottenham form transferred to the international stage with ease but where will he be come September. The only thing for certain is that he won't be wearing a Tottenham shirt, his desire for Champions League football is evident after having a taste for it 2 years ago and now having it taken away by a Chelsea triumph, Luka is looking. Modric looks to have 3 immediate choices, all of which offer him different things.

Chelsea: Modric has been on the Stamford Bridge radar before he even joined Tottenham but his Premier League performances have continued impressed Roman Abramovich, so much so that last year Spurs rejected a reported £40 million bid for the little Croat, Modric's form suggested it bothered him that he didn't have the chance to speak to the Blues but he professionally put it behind him to aid Spurs' charge on the Premier League. The Chelsea squad is evolving with every transfer but Modric would fit perfectly into 'New Chelsea', reports are surfaces that AVB will take over at White Hart Lane and I can't imagine he'll want to sanction the sale of his best player to his old employer. Time will tell.

Manchester United: Sir Alex Ferguson has admired Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs for 20 years but those robots can't last forever, United fans may argue that a quality midfielder would have seen them pip City to the title that they lost only on goal difference. He's a player that could not only learn from Scholes and Giggs but continue to influence young guns like Tom Cleverley into what feels like a 19th generation of Fergie's angels. United need a player like Modric but does Modric need a club with such expectation like Manchester United?

Real Madrid: Croatia were placed in group C along with Spain in this summers Euro's and some of Real Madrid's own got a closer look at Modric's talent. Real Madrid have developed a pattern over recent seasons, they sign a big name followed by a midfielder than keeps the pressure on others, last year brought in Nuri Sahin and Hamit Altintop who may even be used as make weights in an potential deal for the Croatian so does Modric want to be another small fish in a huge Madrid pond? And which type of Madrid signing will he be, a cog or a marque player?

Where do I think he should go? Option B, Manchester United.


Ben Carr

Have Arsenal impressed RVP enough?

The biggest transfer story of the summer will no doubt be the will he won't he regarding Robin Van Persie. The Arsenal number ten has endured seven trophy-less seasons with the Gunners and although the skipper may feel it's right for him to move on, Arsene Wenger has reportedly offered the striker a £130,000 a week contract which in itself is extremely generous and would smash Arsenal's conservative wage structure, to boot, Van Persie would be given a whooping £5 million  signing on fee. It is clear that Arsenal want to keep their prize asset and for people to suggest the North London club would be 'willing' to cash in on his services seems odd to me. The Dutchman would cost over £25 million minimum before bonus' if he pens a new deal to the club itself if he agrees the offered 3 year deal. It wouldn't just indicate that Arsenal can at last hold on to their best players when faced with endless amounts of money but that Van Persie has been sold the ambition of the club for at least 3 more years.
The question I'm asking here though isn't whether Van Persie will sign or not but if the signings Arsenal have currently made are enough to keep him at the club and maybe more importantly keep him happy.
     Arsenal scored 74 goals in the Premier League last season to put themselves in a stand alone third in terms of goals scored, that may well be some way behind Manchester's dominant duo but comfortably ahead of their London counterparts. If you listen to popular belief Arsenal had a fairly good season, Robin Van Persie was firing on all cylinders, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott showed exciting promise and Wojciech Szczesny cemented himself as a top quality Premier League goalkeeper for years to come. The problems though do not lie within the attacking force that Arsenal have possessed for a long time. Last season injuries hampered the Emirates Stadiums defensive line and it opened holes left, right and centre that couldn't be adequately plugged by a Wenger squad that had a worrying lack of depth. While Arsenal do have quality in pockets it's been common knowledge for a few years now that Arsenal are lacking a solid brick wall at the back, linked with Chris Samba, Scott Dann and Gary Cahill this time last season Arsenal went out and bought a rookie in Carl Jenkinson before panic buying Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos after an 8 goal demolition by Manchester United at Old Trafford.
         Wenger has gone out and spent before the official transfer window has even opened, from an Arsenal perspective it's encouraging yet unexpected because there is no better word to describe Wengers transfer dealings as sporadic. Two smart signings have been made already, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski have been signed up with M'Vila a distinct possibility, this begs the question that is signing competition/cover for Van Persie the best way to win him round? For me Van Persie and co did quite a good job at scoring last year and the errors came defensively when it really mattered. So, has Wenger got his priorities wrong or has he put plans in place early for an expected exit?

Ben Carr

A welcome message.

Welcome to Pass Move Shoot. A blogging site that will focus primarily on the English Premier League but will occasionally take a look at major leagues further a field. As of now the site is looking for new people to get involved and take an interest, that could be having a read every couple of days or even submitting something to be published.

Ben Carr (Editor)